|
|
|
Movies
 |
| It's meta, dude. |
Disclaimer: I am woefully, scandalously under-qualified to write anything about TV. Until discovering I could watch shows on the internet (and what a discovery!), I hadn't watched TV since the late 90s. Having said that . . .
Anybody else feel like TV's been getting uncomfortably, overtly racist?
I've got two shows in mind: Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock â both of which I watch religiously (although - 30 Rock's hurting these days, don't you think?).
And I like those shows! Man cannot live on blogging about casinos alone, you know?
But this racism thing is on my mind largely because it's actually started to upset the flow of those those delicious, smooth TV brainwaves through the old cranium.
You know what I'm talking about: Larry's household being taken over by a black family, and the storyline revolving partially around his trying to get rid of them; the minstrel-like Leon; the cunnilingus-loving Krazee Eyez Killa. Tracey Jordan's stupidity, Dot Com and Grizz's servility, Angie's bitchiness.
It's not like it's hidden, or something: the shows put it right in our faces â I mean, that's supposed to be the whole joke, right? They're not racist, they're meta. It's meta-racism - the opposite of racism.
But I don't really buy it. And yeah, I'm the asshole who's ruining the joke by talking about it: but of the many things that make Curb and 30 Rock hilarious, I gotta say: black people playing crazy black people doesn't top my list.
On a side note, The Office has managed to be witty, meta -- and yet doesn't, I think, do the same thing to its black characters: Stanley and Darryl are as real and fully-developed characters as the others, it seems to me.
Anyway, that's it. What do people think?
Tiger Woods is a racist...he doesn't like black women.
[...] as fun as watching 30 Rock is watching liberals laugh and then think (out loud on their blogs): “Does laughing at the antics of Tracy Morgan make me racist? This might be, at best, a [...]
Isaiah: Thanks for jumping over to my blog to respond to my take on this issue. I thought I'd come over here and offer one more thought. Which is: Good, smart comedy, at its essence, is very often transgressive. It can obviously go too far -- depending on who you talk to, it often does. But because of that, I think that means whenever you mix race and comedy it's inevitable that these kinds of questions will arise. During its day, "The Chappelle Show" seemed a daring take on our collective racial hangups; after Dave gave it up he suggested he'd gotten uncomfortable playing what he'd come to view as a kind of high-tech minstrel show. Seems the comedians are feeling their way forward on this stuff about as uncertainly as the rest of us.
Thanks for the comments - very thoughtful. I'm going to mull them over. Drew, I think you're on to something: the weirdness of perspective in 30 Rock is bigger than just a white/black thing. There's definitely an element of making fun of the ways of the rich and famous, that I find pretty entertaining. It also feels a little like out of touch and slightly prejudiced people making jokes, through their characters, about how out of touch and prejudiced they are -- but still being out of touch and prejudiced in the process.
30 Rock has been a little slow this season, but the most recent episode was really funny. I do not find it to be racist. I genuinely feel Tracy Morgan's character is everything he and Tina Fey discussed having him do on SNL but never got around to. His character at the end of the day is a lampoon of the average uber-wealthy/privileged person, not the average black person.
Yeah I can see that, but there are also jokes about their emotional intelligence and sensitivity, which I have always interpreted the punch-line as "look these big tough guys have feelings too." Those jokes would work just as well if Grizz and Dot-Com were the size they are and a different race. I think with Twofer they make more "People who went to ivy league schools are pretentious jerks" jokes than they make "look at this educated black guy jokes." Also, if you want to talk about race jokes, how many times has Jack told Liz that she looked "ethnic?" (ethnic white as opposed to American white) I feel like all of the characters on the show started as stereotypes and then were developed into more full characters. Jack: Corporate climbing heartless white man Liz: Career woman who doesn't have time for a family Jenna: Crazy Actress Pete: Emasculated married man Suri: Hot girl who doesn't think Kenneth: Backwoods Christian Sure there's racial undertones, but I think they make fun of everyone equally. It's an interesting debate for sure. There's lots of times watching that show when I say "Oh man, I can't believe they went there" and many of those times are about race-related jokes.
[...] Thompson asks a question my dear little elitist liberal heart doesn’t want to contemplate: Is 30 Rock racist? I’ve got two shows in mind: Curb Your Enthusiasm, and 30 Rock â both of [...]
True - but have you ever noticed how sometimes they'll do a joke with Grizz or Dot-Com, where the joke is that one of them can speak a full sentence or say something smart or somethign? Hmm? It's probably less useful to talk about whether things are or aren't "racist," (the way I just did) and more useful to talk about undertones of racism or of racial assumptions, or whatever. Do the writers try to make black characters like Grizz and Dot Com more multi-dimensional? Sure: but at the end of the day, you've got four black men on that show: one fool, two faithful servants, and Twofer - a character who's comedic premise is that he's black and educated. Those are some pretty old-school steriotypes for a show as postmodern as 30 rock.
I think on 30 Rock they represent more crazy boss/suck-up assistant relationships than just Tracey with Grizz and Dot-Com. They have Jack and Jonathon, Jenna and Kenneth, and to a certain extent Liz and Pete. They don't only show black characters in those roles.
That's funny, because I agree our culture's racism is reflected in the media but those are the last two shows I would cite as examples. I'm sorry. I like both of those shows a lot, I think they tackle racial issues in a refreshing way. I think they're progressive. They "play" on stereotypes to some extent but that they also dispel stereotypes by delving deeper into those characters.
OMG! did u see tonights episode? NOW what do u think????
Anyone of you knuckleheads thought about Larry? But it ain't racism 'cos he plays himself. Geez you morons!!!
While everybody thrills at the confirmed list of what next Philadelphia International Film Festival will bring to the screen Oct. 15 to 19, nobodyâs asked the most important thing — which celebs are coming. The Philadelphia Film Society's J. Andrew Greenblatt gave me the skippy so far. "F. Gary Gray will bring Law Abiding Citizen along with special guests," says Greenblatt (teasing Jamie Foxx and/or Gerard Butler?), and Lee Daniels will bring Precious [star Gabourey Sidibe]." Maybe weâll have more surprises soon.
If you're only reading the Clog, you're missing out on info on the upcoming Philadelphia Film Festival. No worries, we have the skinny on our arts blog Critical Mass:
The Philadelphia Film Festival announced it will open with the locally-shot and set Law Abiding Citizen and close with Precious: Based on the Novel âPushâ by Sapphire, by West Phillyâs Lee Daniels.
This year marks the festâs 18 1/2 birthday ⦠wait, what? And a half? Usually the Film Fest takes place in the spring but when the Philadelphia Film Society split last year, TLA/Cinema Alliance's Ray Murray kept the season and renamed the venture CineFest, while the Film Society moved to October and retained the name. The fest takes place Thu., Oct. 15-Mon., Oct. 19 and features 28 films from 14 different countries.
Hell, why not just add this bad boy to your RSS feed. You won't regret it.
Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
Every so often life affords a second chance that allows us to cast aside regret or to simply come to our senses and seize the moment. Such is the case with the Troc's showing of Crank: High Voltage tonight. Unlike a certain Rob Zombie-directed film about a guy who just won't die, Crank is gleefully self-aware, delivering non-stop hilarity through a continuous thread of action that quickly leaps from the improbable to the outright ludicrous. Then again, you need to have a sense of humor when you resurrect your lead character after he face plants on the streets of L.A. from a helicopter at the end of your first film
The premise is simple: Chev Chelios (Jason Statham) needs to keep his temporary, mechanical heart charged with electricity by any means necessary, while hunting down the original (this, opposed to maintaining a super high heart rate in Crank I due to a nasty poison). Some films are made to be dissected on so many levels, while others are meant to be enjoyed with a few beers and the riotous laughter of your friends surrounding you. This is one of the latter.
Crank: High Voltage, The Trocadero, 1003 Arch St., 8 p.m., $3 goes toward a drink or a snack.
Whoa, X-Men Origins: Wolverine came out this summer? It's May release date feels like ages ago considering all of the Star Trekking, Transforming and District 9ing that's gone on since. So now that the season's on the wind-down, let's not forget about the crap that we most certainly forgot. Hell, we even put the sucker on our cover chilling with M. Nuts, the Phanatic and Santigold and I still thought this movie came out last year.
Madam Tussaud's Hollywood decided to cast the Clawed One in wax (in order to preserve it's inherent mediocrity?) and are taking it out for a spin on a five-city tour. You can catch a glimpse of the Jackman-a-la-wax this Wednesday from noon to 2 p.m. at FYE, 100 S. Broad St.
It's all in the name of promoting the DVD. Drew Lazor was lukewarm on the whole affair:
If you've got your priorities straight, your reasons for sucking down a big-budget Marvel flick should be identical to your reasons for sucking down a big fat burger — while both are questionably beneficial to your well-being, frivolous transgression is fun, whether you feel guilty about it or not. As expected, Gavin Hood's spin on The Clawed One's back story doesn't build empathy for Wolverine as much as it provides a platform for Hugh Jackman to go "RAAHHHH!" and be shirtless a lot. And that's fine. The director starts by establishing Wolfy (aka Logan) and bloodthirsty Sabretooth (a hulking Liev Schreiber) as siblings who never got along — things come to a head when they're part of the black-op Team X that provides the latter brother with plenty of chances to cut up the innocent. Skip to later, with Wolfy splitting logs in Canada with his girl (Lynn Collins); Sabretooth starts knocking members of the old squad off, luring Logan and his anger issues back into the mix. Special effects are suspect at points, and characters are shot out all sloppy and rapid-fire like spuds out of a potato gun (it's the first in what will be many single-hero X-Flicks, so you gotta get those fenceposts in the ground). But if you've got your priorities straight, you'll take will.i.am's goofy role as teleportin' cowpoke John Wraith as a sign not to think too hard about this.
[...] Go To Mars And Stay There?• Get Lit (All Summer Long): Win a copy of Michelle Huneven's Blame• Waxy Wolverine: How to make a mediocre movie seem more interesting• World Wildlife Fund's New 9/11 Ad: Moving or totally tasteless?• Dodgers, running [...]
Don't know what to do tonight? Don't worry, we've got you covered.
 |
Look at those pretty 16 MM reels. Aren't they romantic? Don't you just wanna grab a blanket and a wine bottle and sit down in front of them with your beau, watching old movies? Yes, yes you do and tonight, so long as Mother Nature doesn't shit all over us again like it did yesterday (our below-normal precipitation rate be damned), you can at The Lawn Chair Drive-In. Lair of The White Worm is up, and judging by the trailer, it's a weirdo '80s horror flick that features vampires a very hot, dapper Hugh Grant. See it for yourself here.
Tue., June 16 (and every Tue. throughout the summer), dusk, free, Liberty Lands Park, Third Street above Poplar, lawnchairdrivein.com.
We're clearly a little bike-happy over here at CP. But when it's this nice outside, and our muscle mass is shrinking by the second, can you blame us? The video above is a trailer for I Love My Bicycle: The Story of FBM Bikes, which was made by local filmmaker Joe Stakun. (Full disclosure: Both of us being Temple students, I've been to a few of the same parties as Stakun. It's a small world over there on Broad.) The film is nominated for best documentary at the Bare Bones Festival in Oklahoma, where it aired last week. Yo, Joe we're proud of you and all, but don't go and get talented and then leave Philly for good, mmkay? We still have PFF here, after all.
 |
| Thank you for Flight of the Conchords, Internet. |
| Courtesy people.tribe.net |
If you're a Flight of the Conchords fan, you've probably sneaked a peek at this season's first episode. That's because the show's leading men, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, give credit where it's due: They leaked the season premiere in December to "thank" the Internet for the success it's brought them. (And by success, I think they mean 167,000 MySpace friends. Either that or the best-selling album.)
The boys must be grateful for Philly, too, because HBO is screening the first episode tonight at 941 Theater (941 N. Front St.), and giving attendants free food and drinks! Be sure to RSVP here, though, because times are tough — and who can turn down a free HBO premiere?
I missed it :'(
You can watch Episode 1 online if you haven't seen it yet!
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
